Cut onions into small pieces; cut chicken into bite sized squares. Peel and cut potatoes into small squares.

Stuffing:
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add in bullion, salt, raw chicken, potatoes, veggies, thyme and the two bay leaves. (like making chicken soup!) Let boil until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes or so. Drain veggies & chicken, with a bowl under to catch your fresh chicken broth. Discard the bay leaves. Place veggies back in pot, and start the gravy.

Gravy:
In a medium pot, add cream soups and two cups of ff milk. (Use cans as measurement) Whisk together and get hot (make sure it doesn't burn) Add your celery salt, garlic, and S&P. Once that simmers for 1-2 minutes, whisk in simultaneously flour and hot broth (use about 4 cups). Keep whisking, fast until almost all lumps are clear and gravy thickens. (add more flour if still watery)

Mix in big pot with Veggies and Chicken.

Get a large casserole dish, and Pam the bottom. Roll out 1 of the pie crust with a rolling pin to fit the bottom of the dish. place in bottom, add filling, and place second pie crust on top. Bake at 375 for approx. 45 minutes, or until brown. (Ignore Pillsbury directions)

Yum! My dad makes the best Giambotta (pronounced Jom-bot.) It's Italian veggie stew, it is so healthy and so delish! I usually eat it with white/brown rice and mush it all together, but that's totally up to your preference and tolerance. I make it the lazy way; my dad uses all fresh ingredients. You can do it either way!

Preparation: In a large pot, heat up chicken stock and add in onions and garlic. Cook until slightly tender. Add in your tomato purée, water, and small can of tomato sauce. Add in frozen veggies and canned veggies. Add in parsley and S&P. Let boil, stir often, and cover with lid, about 20-25 minutes, or until veggies are nice and tender. Taste and add seasonings the way you like. Serve over rice.

That's it! Simple, and very tasty. If you want to add protein, dice some chicken and let it cook in the mix.

These are some things you should know, if you're willing to cook with me!

1) I'm strange. LOL. I eat lemon juice with EVERYTHING, so I may suggest that periodically
2) I don't measure...I eyeball! (eyeball is using your own judgment on how much of something to put)
3) Most of the recipes are as fat free as possible, at least for now because I have a messed up gall bladder
4) I take all of these pictures, from my own work. I love photography!

Preparing The Mushrooms: Stuffing mushrooms are mushrooms that are slightly bigger than the ones we use every day. They sell them at stop and shop, raw they're about palm sized. Clean the mushrooms with a sponge to get the dirt off (if you wash in colander, you may loose some of the flavor!) Twist the stems out of the caps lightly, leaving a perfect cap for stuffing! Set the caps aside for later. Chunk the stems in small pieces, and use for stuffing.

Preparing The Stuffing: In a medium sized sauce pan, pour chicken broth in to get hot, a little less than high heat. Add onions, and grated garlic clove, stirring until they are soft. (keep an eye, because I tend to burn onions haha!) Once onions are on the softer side, add the mushroom stems. When mushroom stems brown slightly, drain calms and put clam juice aside for later. Mix in clams, and a small amount of juice and let them cook for about 2-4 minutes. Add your oregano and S&P, and Lemon juice. (I like a lot of lemon juice, but a tablespoon should do the trick. If you like less, be your own judge) Now, this is the fun part. Get your bread crumbs and clam juice ready. Slowly pour in some clam juice, immediately follow with breadcrumbs. Stir. Repeat until all the clam juice is gone and you get an almost sticky consistency.

Assembling: Get a baking pan ready, cover with aluminum foil, and spray with Pam. Stuff the mushroom caps with the hot stuffing, scooping about a teaspoon sized portion into each of the caps. Place evenly and put a small dollop of tomato sauce on top. Bake in oven approx. 20 minutes, or until fragrant and mushrooms brown. Serve alone or with rice.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Hey All! I'll start out by telling my story. My name is Angela, I am 19 years old, and decided to have lap band surgery in November of 2010. It's been a constant up and down for me, yet I am the happiest and healthiest I've been in a long time. I've lost, in approx. 4 months, 65 lbs, which I did not expect, and am so grateful for. I decided to start this blog to document my journey, and to share some really awesome recipes, most of which I made up or found and made healthier and easier. Most things I make are:
A) Low/Fat free
B) High in protiene
C) Low in carbs
...but they are ALL high in flavor! ;)
I hope you enjoy!

~Friends~

Recipes, Tips, and Talk

About The Bandster

My name is Angela. I'm 19 years old, in NY, and had lab band surgery November 10th, 2010. As of now, I am close to 4 months post-op and have lost 65 lbs. I love to cook and take photographs, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to show off both. Thanks!